Attachment for holding and stiffening merchandise packages



KAGES Sept. 8, 1942. M. GARBATY ATTACHMENT FOR HOLDING AND STIFFENING MERCHANDISE PA Fiied Nov. :50, 1959 INVENTOR. MA UR/CE GARBA TY Patented Sept. 8, 1942 STAT r orrlc ATTACHMENT FOR HOLDING AND STIFFEN- ING MERCHANDISE PACKAGES 4 Claims- My invention relates to improvements of attachments for holding and stiifening merchandise packages as described in my former application Ser. No. 291,466, filed August 23, 1939.

The subject matter of my former invention is to provide a support for repeated use for holding and stiffening packages e. g. of paper, cardboard or the like which are discarded when emptied, comprising a rack conforming to the shape and the size of the package to be supported, a movable adapter able to fix the goods in a partially emptied package and a device capable to eject the goods from the supported package.

The new device according to this invention is an attachment especially appropriated for cigarette packages.

One object of the invention is to provide a support to be operated single-handed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment which easily can be inserted between the inside of the Wrapper of the package to be stiffened and the contents thereof, without damaging either the wrapper or the cigarettes.

Another object of the invention is to provide means of preventing a distortion of the inner part of the wrapper and of the cigarettes, when the adapter and the ejector are operated.

Another object of the invention is to provide special means of ejectingreven the last cigarettes in the package without any difliculties.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown for purposes of illustration a form which the invention may assume in practice.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the attachment.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the adapter taken at the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken at line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the upper end of the ejector-spring.

Fig. 5 is a top plan of a cigarette package, showing the arrangement of cigarettes and, in section, the relative positions of adapter and ejector.

The reference characters in the several figures denote like parts.

The attachment shown in the figures comprises a yoke I0 consisting of two legs II and III both pointing downwardly connected by a top-plate I4.

The shape and the size of the yoke conforms to the shape and the size of the package to be supported by the attachment.

The plate I4 is provided with a longitudinal slot l5. This slot has an enlarged portion I5 suitably dimensioned to permit the proper dis.- charge of the goods.

A gripper It rigidly connected with a downwardly disposed and movable plate or leg l8 slides through the slot l5 acting as an adapter which moves and firmly supports the goods in they package to which the attachment is to be applied.

The width of leg I8 is somewhat smaller than that of the legs I I and I II in order to avoid damages by engagement of the inner parts of the package wrapper with the moving adapter.

A vertical rib I8 is provided in the midst of the leg I8 preferably integral with the finger grip Iii. To facilitate the movement of the adapter plate IS the latter is guided by means of wings II! in guiding channels M and l provided on both lengthsides of the top plate I4. These channels extend over leg III to facilitate discharge of the last cigarettes in the package supported by the attachment.

The legs I I, III and I8 are tapered at their extreme downward ends to facilitate the insertion of the device in the wrapper.

The leg I I I is provided with two channels 28 in which an ejector slide 2! is guided. The slide 2| ends on its upper part in a finger grip 2P shaped in a manner that the slide may be raised by putting the thumb under the grip.

The slide 2! is provided with a long levered spring 22. The upper part 22 is widened thus extending over the whole width of the slide 2|. The slide positively cooperates with a stationary cam 23 so as to engage the goods on the upward stroke and to slip over the cigarettes without injuring them on th downward stroke.

To facilitate the one-handed operation of the ejector and the adapter, an outer wall 24 is provided. This wall is fastened on the top plate It and has to surround the outside of the package to which the device is to be attached.

The lower edges 24 of the casing 24 are bent outwardly to accommodate easy feeding in of the package wrapper between the wall 24 and the legs [I and III.

The device according to the invention may be used as follows:

The adapter I8 is set in close connection to leg II of the yoke I0 by moving the grip I6 accordingly, while the grip 2W is put down to insert the injector in its slide.

Now the device can be easily attached to a package of cigarettes which has been opened by removal of the top part of the wrapper.

Leg II with the adapter I8 0n the one side and leg III with slide 2| on the other side are inserted between the inside of the wrapper I3 and the cigarettes I2 whereas the casing 24 surrounds the outer part of the package to be supported. This feeding in is facilitated by the funnel-shaped form of the device.

The attachment can be operated by one hand: the grip 2| of the ejector can be handled by the thumb and the grip I 6 of the adapter by the forefinger of the same hand which rests closely on the casing 24. The discharge of cigarettes is performed by lifting the ejector 2| with the thumb.

When the first cigarettes are discharged and the ejector is put down again the adapter I8 is advanced by moving forward its grip It. The rib l8 secures the right position of the cigarettes even though the package is partially emptied.

It is possible to move the adapter so far that the last cigarettes may be discharged out of the package without difiiculties, the channels [4 and M being extended.

I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention but it is understood that changes and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a stiffening and holding device for cigarette packages comprising an adapter for the cigarettes and an ejector to be operated singlehanded a U-shaped yoke conforming to the shape and size of the package to be stiffened consisting of a top plate to be placed on the top of an opened package of cigarettes, this top plate being provided with a discharge opening, and two downwardly directed flat plates integrally connected with said top plate at its opposite ends, said plates to be inserted in said package on its narrow sides between the wrapper and the cigarettes to exert pressure on the walls of said package; a downwardly directed movable adapter plate disposed in said yoke at the side of the top plate opposite to said discharge opening and to be moved parallelly to the legs of said yoke in the direction to said discharge opening by actuating a finger grip extending through a slot in the top plate, actuated by the forefinger of the operator; an ejector gliding up and down in guiding channels provided in the leg of said yoke located at said discharge opening, said slide being provided with a finger grip to be operated by the thumb of the same hand; an outer casing fastened to said top plate surrounding the outside of the package to be stiffened, adapted to support the hand of the operator.

2. In a stiffening and holding device for cigarette packages comprising an adapter for the cigarettes and an ejector to be operated singlehanded a U-shaped yoke conforming to the shape and size of the package to be stiffened consisting of a top plate to be placed on the top of an opened package of cigarettes, this top plate being provided with a discharge opening, and two downwardly directed fiat plates integrally connected with said top plate at its opposite ends, said plates to be inserted in said package on its narrow sides between the wrapper and the cigarettes to exert pressure on the walls of said package; a downwardly directed movable adapter plate disposed in said yoke at the side of the top plate opposite to saiddischarge opening and to be moved parallelly to the legs of said yoke in the direction to said discharge opening by actuating a finger grip extending through a slot in the top plate, actuated by the forefinger of the operator; an ejector gliding up and down in guiding channels provided in the leg of said yoke located at said discharge opening, said slide being provided with a finger grip to be operated by the thumb of the same hand; an outer casing fastened to said top plate surrounding the outside of the package to be stiffened, said casing being broadened on its lower end to facilitate the adapting of the device to the cigarette package and to give support to the hand of the operator.

3. In a stiffening and holding device for cigarette packages a U-shaped yoke conforming to the shape and size of the package comprising a top plate being provided with a discharge opening and two downwardly directed legs connected with said top plate at its opposite ends, said plates to be inserted in said package on its narrow sides between the wrapper and the cigarettes to exert pressure on the walls of said package; a movable adapter plate disposed in said yok and an ejector slide gliding up and down in guiding channels disposed in the leg of the stiffening yoke near said discharge opening,

a long levered gripping spring being provided on the inner side of the slide, a stationary cam fixed to the leg adjacent the slide said spring being adapted to act as an ejector when passing said cam while moving upwardly.

4. In a stifiening device and holding device for cigarette packages a U-shaped yoke conforming to the shape and size of the package comprising a top plate being provided with a discharge opening and two downwardly directed legs connected with said top plate at its opposite ends, said plates to be inserted in said package on its narrow sides between the wrapper and the cigarettes to exert pressure on the walls of said package; a movable adapter plate of somewhat smaller width than those of the legs of said yoke, provided with a vertical middle rib securing the right position of the cigarettes, the adapter plate gliding horizontally by means of guiding channels in the top plate of the yoke extending over and above the yoke.

MAURICE GARBATY. 

